Meditation Basics

You Can Reap The Benefits Of Meditation Without Becoming A Hippie

Before starting this next exercise, it’s best to go through some basic breathing techniques to get your body nice and relaxed. Most often, you’ll want to be standing on your feet. You can sit down, but this will limit your range of movement.

Using slow, fully controlled motions, start moving your body in any shape or direction that comes naturally. You might start by moving your hands, then slowly work your way down to your arms and legs. The key is to use smooth motion trajectories rather than abrupt movements.

Try to refrain from mentally choosing the motion patterns. Instead, let your body do the thinking and simply observe and be aware of the movements.

Once you do this for a while, you’ll start becoming aware of the intricate design of the human body and how each muscle interacts with the other. This exercise can be performed for as long as you need. When you’re ready, come out of relaxation mode and stretch a little.

Guidelines

No matter what type of meditation you choose to practice, there are a few guidelines to follow with all these exercises.

Your state of mind is crucial to the success of your meditation sessions. If you’re not in the mindset to meditate, it will not work. Be sure to be mentally ready for relaxation and have your mind open to it.

Focus on your posture. Proper posture is just as crucial as anything else. A balanced body will open the door to a balanced mind.

Takeoff and landing are the final pieces of a successful meditation session. Before starting any meditation, make sure that your surroundings are beneficial to the exercise and that your environment will help you achieve the greatest level of awareness. You may choose to dim the lights or put on some light music. Whatever the case may be, do what makes you feel right. When finishing a session, take all the time you need to come back to reality, and to prepare yourself mentally and physically for the stressful world outside your mind.

Breathe In, Breathe Out...

With all the ambiguities around the world of meditation, it’s often all too easy to get discouraged and turn away from it. It does not matter which technique you use, as long as you start somewhere and keep at it. Though the benefits of meditation are apparent almost instantly, regular practice will help you achieve greater goals in the long run.